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Sexual Assault Awareness Month calls for action, prevention and healing
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PAGE 3 • MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018
Sexual Assault Awareness Month calls for action, prevention and healing
Katy Chappell
Correspondent
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), and the Women’s Center is busy with events and workshops for the NC State community to participate in.
Sara Forcella, the rape prevention and education coordinator in the Women’s Center, chaired the planning committee for this year’s SAAM. Forcella summed up the purpose of the month through the national theme, ‘embrace your voice.’
“The purpose of SAAM is to really raise awareness of sexual assault being something that occurs every day and that occurs to people regardless of gender identity or race or sexuality, class, any kind of identity that you might hold,” Forcella said.
Lila Crick, a second-year studying aerospace engineering, is vice president of the Movement Peer Educators that contribute to the planning of SAAM. Crick elaborated on the intentions of the event within the community.
“Prevention is something we are aiming for,” Crick said. “We want people to understand how they can prevent [sexual assault] which is why we have workshops where we teach people what they can do about it. [Sexual assault] is going to happen, but you can do a little to prevent that by instilling positive characteristics in people, especially when they’re young.”
Crick is pleased that the previously week-long event has developed into a national month-long event.
“I think it’s important that we dedicate a whole month to this problem because there are different facets to it,” Crick said. “It’s important that we don’t just spend a day or a week on it.”
Josie Cranfill, a first-year studying polymer and color chemistry, is a member of Period at NC State, a group dedicated to empowering women. Cranfill believes in the importance of understanding the healing process for survivors.
“We’re becoming much better at recognizing the mental impacts that [sexual assault] can have,” Cranfill said. “People that have been assaulted tend to neglect their physical health after that, and having Sexual Assault Awareness Month is so critically important in helping people that have been assaulted in keeping up their physical health as well as their mental health.”
Cranfill also hopes that SAAM on college campuses brings attention to issues taking place specifically at college campuses.
“It brings more awareness, not just to women’s organizations, but having Sexual Assault Awareness Month brings it to the larger campus, particularly groups where sexual assault has been an issue like Greek life at NC State,” Cranfill says.
The Clothesline Project was the kickoff event of SAAM. The purpose of the project is to raise awareness about sexual violence. The four campus community centers have T-shirts displayed with the words of primary and secondary survivors of sexual violence.
“Each color [shirt] represents a different form of violence,” Forcella said. “White is someone creating a T-shirt for someone that has passed away due to violence. Gray is for stalking. Pink is sexual assault. Light blue is childhood sexual assault. They all represent different things. It’s a way for folks to be able to come and kind of process through their healing and experience.”
Some of the words and images on the shirts created are explicit. There have been discussions of whether displaying the shirts is appropriate, but Forcella emphasizes the importance of having the project on display.
“It could be potentially a part of a healing process for a survivor to create that T-shirt,” Forcella said. “It raises awareness for our campus community. There should be some level of discomfort with our campus community to know that our fellow Wolfpack members have dealt with this. We don’t want anyone to be triggered by it, but we also see a need for it.”
One event that the Women’s Center is excited to host is its keynote speaker, Pierre Berastain. Berastain will be speaking on the evening of April 17 in Talley 4140 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
“[Berastain] identifies as a survivor and undocumented immigrant who is a DACA recipient,” Forcella said. “He is going to talk about the intersections of being undocumented, being a survivor, being someone that identifies as male and someone that identifies as LGBTQ and how all those intersections impact a survivor’s ability to report, and a survivor’s healing process. I think he’s going to touch on a lot of different parts of sexual violence that we don’t always think about.”
Another event focusing on intersectional aspects of sexual assault is the Supporting Male Survivors discussion that will take place in the Women’s Center on April 19 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. This event will begin with a documentary that is followed by discussion.
“[The event] is looking at how to support our male survivors that don’t always feel like they have a voice in the movement of sexual violence prevention and awareness,” Forcella said. “It also will talk about how masculinity has shaped the narrative for men who are childhood survivors or adult survivors of sexual violence.”
SAM FELDSTEIN/ARCHIVE Austin Clark, a fourth-year studying communication, and Chris Kabrich, an alumnus who studied civil engineering, pose for pictures while holding up signs explaining their reasons for wanting to end sexual assault on campus by Talley Student Union on April 12, 2017.
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PAGE 4 • MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018
Gregg recieves Gold sustainability award
Marco Valencia
Correspondent
The Gregg Museum of Art and Design recently earned LEED certification to the Gold Level for the new gallery wing designed by Perkins + Will, marking the third university building to receive the certification.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and is a popular green building certification program used worldwide. The program aims to help buildings and building owners to be environmentally conscious and responsible. There have been 13 LEED-certified projects on NC State’s campus since 2011.
The Gregg Museum is an NC Stateowned and -operated art and design museum which is located on Hillsborough Street. The museum building was originally in the chancellor’s residence, but, with the construction of Centennial Campus, was moved to a new location. The Gregg Museum then moved from Talley Student Union, to the 15,850-square-foot location it is seen in today.
Roger Manley, the director of the Gregg Museum of Art and Design, is proud of the achievement.
“We are delighted for the architects and for NC State University that the Gregg Museum’s new galleries addition has achieved this status,” Manley said. “It’s something they really deserve to be proud of.”
The building has a significantly smaller environmental footprint, with sustainable measures taken in almost every aspect. The design of the building reduces energy costs by 28 percent, and is regularly measured. The air conditioning systems are low mercury producing and utilizes a reflective roof that reduces heat absorption from the sun so that it is naturally cooling.
Water is reduced by 22 percent through implementation of efficient plumbing and other fixtures. The exterior landscaping also uses water efficient plants to further reduce water consumption by 52 percent. Parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles are an option as well as busing and cycling to the museum as there is a bus stop en route.
A majority of the building itself used materials from a responsibly managed forest, all within 500 miles of the site. The building used an estimated 25 percent recycled and sustainable building materials with 63 percent of waste diverted from the landfills using forms of recycling and reusing.
Cameron Smith, the senior director of Capital Project Management at the NC State Facilities Division, emphasized how committed NC State is to sustainable building and practices.
“NC State is committed to achieving a minimum of LEED Silver certification on all new buildings and major renovations greater than 20,000 gross square feet,” said Smith. “The Gregg Museum project surpassed the goal and actually achieved a Gold certification.”
Smith also answered why students should be knowledgeable about the honor and how it affects the student body as a whole.
“Students spend a fair amount of their time living, studying and working in campus facilities, and the University is committed to building and renovating more sustainable, efficient and healthy buildings in an effort to enhance the physical environment where students learn every day,” said Smith. “LEED is a tool to help us ensure we are building facilities that are safe, comfortable and save the University money through sustainable design and construction.”
Students have taken note and are excited about the award as well. Abigail Farlow, a second-year studying industrial design, was glad to hear of the news of the certification.
“I am happy to hear that the museum is so efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Farlow. “I am proud of NC State committing themselves to becoming more sustainable learning environment.”
BRANDON LANG/TECHNICIAN The completed renovation of the old chancellor’s residence and its new extension serve as the new freestanding site of the Gregg Museum of Art and Design. The museum features a collection of over 35,000 objects, as well as three viewing galleries that will have rotating shows throughout the year.
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PAGE 5 • MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018
No Gay? No Way! is way off about Raleigh
On March 9-18, Raleigh leaders were in Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest, an annual event focusing on professional and creative growth. Specifically, our own Nancy McFarlane was there as mayor of one of the last 20 cities left on Amazon’s shortlist for its second headquarters. She participated in a panel discussing the costs and benefits of HQ2 for Raleigh.
The panel, however, was met with some conflicting opinions after activists from the No Gay? No Way! campaign distributed materials outside the hotel where McFarlane was participating in the panel. The campaign is a response to Amazon looking for a second headquarters and aims to discourage the company from selecting any location that is in a state which the activists view as lacking adequate protection against discrimination for the LGBT community. They have targeted nine states — the locations of 11 of the final 20 cities for HQ2 — as discriminating against LGBT people, including Raleigh.
Although I personally admire the activists’ central idea of decreasing discrimination, I hardly think that Raleigh should be on their hit list. Raleigh is an accepting city, and North Carolina as a whole has been moving in a more progressive direction recently. Despite the best of intentions, No Gay? No Way! is way off the mark for attempting to punish a group of goodwilled individuals for the past actions of less open-minded people.
Their argument that Amazon should not consider Raleigh for HQ2 has two big holes: Amazon is looking for a city, not a state, and the activists have an outdated and inaccurate view of what North Carolina as a whole currently stands for. We are no longer the state defined by House Bill 2.
The company is selecting its second headquarters based on the qualifications of the city, including factors that are not purely economic, such as the potential reception of Amazon by the general public. But when Conor Gaughan, a spokesman for No Gay? No Way!, said in an interview with the News and Observer, “For us the message is fairly simple. We think that Amazon should consider state laws that discriminate in their criteria.” He failed to recognize the importance of a city’s views compared to a state’s.
I agree, of course, laws of the location selected have to be considered, but the idea that these laws must be state laws is shortsighted. This is especially true when considering Raleigh’s independent ordinance that opposes “any discrimination based on actual or perceived age, mental or physical disability, sex, religion, race, color, sexual orientation.”
No Gay? No Way! is likely focusing on the fact that North Carolina has a past of discriminatory policies like House Bill 2, but under Mayor McFarlane, Raleigh has always strived to maintain an independent view on the matter.
A study by Public Religion Research Institute found that 71 percent of residents in Charlotte and the Raleigh-Durham area favor LGBT nondiscrimination laws, roughly 10 percent more than other parts of North Carolina. This open-mindedness is seen throughout the city. With past marches supporting LGBT causes, the city has a vocal population that supports a diverse community. Beyond that, a welcoming environment is evident at our own university, through organizations like the GLBT center.
In short, Raleigh’s neighbors may be intolerant, but our city is welcoming, and there’s no reason to punish an accepting city.
The second reason for why No Gay? No Way! has missed the mark with Raleigh is that North Carolina as a whole has become drastically more progressive recently. If organizations like No Gay? No Way! protest our laws while they are moving in the right direction, it could be harmful to the process of change.
Just as recently as Jan. 25, Todd Rosendahl, a leader of Equality NC — North Carolina’s oldest LGBTQ equality organization — was appointed to North Carolina Youth Advisory Council. This decision was applauded by Equality NC. Ironically, this is Joseph Rivenbark Staff Columnist evidence which I found through a link on No Gay? No Way!’s own website; the page lists the most recent LGBTQ news for the 9 opposed states. When the organization’s own site betrays its cause, it’s evident that it must have a weak argument to begin with. North Carolina’s history of LGBTQ rights is tainted by HB2. Perhaps for a large part of the country, that’s still what this state is about. But North Carolina voted out Pat McCrory, the man who had become the face of HB2, in 2016. And North Carolina elected Roy Cooper, who has done his best to repeal the bill. North Carolina is making progress as of right now; if that isn’t noticed or, worse, is punished instead, it just might burn out. I’ve lived in Raleigh my whole life, so I have a strong emotional attachment to this city, for its greatness and for its flaws. I know just as well as anyone that there are valid criticisms of Raleigh. But to say that we are not tolerant, to say that we discriminate and to say that we don’t protect the individuals who live here, no matter who they are, not only goes against the facts, it goes against the culture of this great city.
Casey Johnson
Correspondent
As I was looking over potential classes for next semester, I started looking into archery, something I’m fascinated by and always wanted to learn. But my aspirations were dissuaded as I saw that it was only worth one credit hour, along with many other health courses.
All students should take advantage of the resources we have on campus, like Carmichael Gymnasium, a wonderful facility with many recreation spaces. But many students don’t utilize these spaces because of the lack of incentives to take any more than the required amount of physical education courses.
I argue that health and fitness courses should be worth more than one credit hour so that students like myself — who are going into their final semester and still want to be considered full-time students — can take classes that are perhaps less intellectually straining and time-consuming outside the classroom, while also taking the higher-level requirements of their degree.
A credit hour is “one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week.” So a class that meets for three hours a week is worth three credit hours. However, a physical activity course like HEST 216 Soccer, which meets for almost four hours a week, is only worth one credit hour.
In a country where the vast majority of adults are overweight or obese, universities should encourage students to be more active, setting a precedent for later in life. An estimated 160 million Americans, three-quarters of men and 60 percent of women, are overweight in some capacity despite the numerous attempts to combat the obesity epidemic in America.
Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for many health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, joint problems and gallstones. Regular exercise has been proven to help to control weight, combat these health conditions, improve mood and promote better sleep.
This isn’t the America that Michelle Obama wanted. In fact, NC State was one of the first colleges to sign on to her Healthier Campus Initiative, implementing all 23 guidelines by 2015 and becoming the first campus to do so. Some of the ways NC State implemented these guidelines were by providing free water at all dining, recreational and educational facilities, holding more than 150 group fitness classes each week, and combating food insecurity in the community through the Feed the Pack Pantry.
We should take the next step past nutrition to encouraging healthy options on campus. New undergraduates entering college are exposed to so many new experiences in their first few years into adulthood whether those experiences are academic or social. Exercise should be one of them, and adding on credit hours to health courses allows them to compete with three-hour courses for a student’s time.
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PAGE 6 • MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018
Vitamin D: Don’t wait until it’s too late
I didn’t see a vitamin D deficiency coming. I’m only 19 years old, and I’m living in quite a medically advanced age, or so I thought. A couple of days ago, I found out that a blood test of mine revealed that my vitamin D levels had sharply declined. Though I was relieved that I was facing a fairly minor problem, it wasn’t something I was expecting. After receiving my lab results, some quick research told me that a vitamin D deficiency was a lot more common than I had originally thought — it affects 40 to 75 percent of the general population.
It was difficult for me to even recognize the symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency, as they can be quite subtle. Chronic weakness, low bone density and depressed moods are common signs of not getting enough of it. Oftentimes, unrelated symptoms may show up, so a doctor’s diagnosis is the best judge of what is going on.
Having lived most of my life in India, where direct sunlight is readily available, I managed to get an adequate dose of vitamin D every day. Raleigh, in contrast, is less exposed to direct sunlight and is also too cold during winter to step outdoors. Being darkskinned also increases the chance of becoming deficient in vitamin D, due to higher levels of melanin blocking ultraviolet light. More than 90 percent of one’s daily requirements usually come from the sun, so it’s essential to rely on diet and supplements to make up for these shortcomings.
I now realize that my dietary choices as a college student could have also contributed in causing this. With classes being scattered throughout the day and homework demanding attention, it’s difficult to prioritize healthy eating habits.
Fortunately, NC State Dining provides nutrition guides for health and wellness on campus and offers guidance to stay healthy. Furthermore, the WellFed Wolfpack program presents students with nutrition updates and fitness tips. Their team of dietitians can help in giving advice as to how to incorporate a healthy amount of vitamin D in a meal plan.
According to an earlier Technician article, Alli Nickell, then-vice president of the Nutrition Club at NC State, stated that vitamin D is among the most important vitamin supplements offered in drugstores. It helps build stronger bones, improves immunity and has been linked to preventing some kinds of cancer.
Sarah Ash, a professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocess and Nutrition Sciences, explained that vitamin D is a hormone, unlike the other vitamin groups, and its main role is to maintain blood calcium levels, which translates to stronger bones.
Lower levels of vitamin D have also been linked to depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder, a mood disorder occurring dur-
ing winter, when there is relatively less sunshine. Due to its biochemical effects on the brain, the lack of it can cause other mental health issues like panic disorder and insomnia. Shivani Shirolkar Staff Columnist As chronic weakness is a less noticeable symptom of a vitamin D deficiency, it has the potential to keep hindering learning productivity in college. It struck me that I ought to be taking the lack of vitamin D in my system more seriously, since these factors are sure to relate to academic performance and the general state of well-being. Dairy products, breads and cereals are great sources of vitamin D to rely on during the colder months. It’s definitely a good idea to take advantage of pleasant sunny days when we have them, though too much sunlight can cause skin cancer. In addition to these sources, vitamin supplements are an easier option that give you the exact daily recommended values. Looking back, I see that I didn’t care much about whether I was getting the nutrition I needed. Though I prefer being indoors for the most part, as I now understand the importance of healthy levels of vitamin D, I realize that needs to change. College students should consciously put in effort to include food components that are high in vitamin D, and other nutrients as well, in their daily diet. It’s easier to keep your amounts healthy now than to have them crash in the future and face the consequences.
PE
continued from page 5
Increasing credit for fitness courses would be great step, yet exercise shouldn’t be limited to the degree audit; NC State has various spaces and resources for physical recreation. Even if they’re only worth one credit, there are so many interesting Health and Exercise classes offered to students at NC State, including but not limited to archery, swimming, rock climbing and even ballet. Consider taking a walking class next semester to counterbalance the three lectures you have to take.
As the Healthier Campus Initiative says, “Going off to college signals a time of newfound independence for young adults, who are suddenly able to make all of their own choices. The habits they form during these years — including what they eat and how much physical activity they get — can last a lifetime.”
B-Sian: Zebra Stripes Sindy Huang, third-year studying biological engineering
